That Time
by chunkyapple
Summary: The first time he met her, he didn't think anything of it. The second time he met her, he didn't know what to think. By some time, he realized he had made a mistake. College AU
1. The First

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 1

The First

The first time he saw her, he didn't think anything of it. She was some random girl that Temari brought along, and at the time, he was busy ruining Naruto's life in Black Ops.

"YO, BACK THE FUCK OFF, KIBA!"

"Screw off Naruto, you suck at this."

"Can't you guys play a little quieter," yawned Shikamaru. He was lazing around in the recliner, next to the couch they were seated on.

It was week 1 into the semester, so it wasn't like they had a lot of work to be done. All the guys were hanging out in Sasuke, Neji, and Shikamaru's basement. The house was the main spot for the gang to meet up or just chill. And at the moment, all the guys were in the basement doing their own activities.

"Shikamaruuuuu," Ino sang as she walked down the stairs. Hinata, Sakura, Temari, Tenten, and another girl were following behind her.

"Shit," Shikamaru mumbled under his breath.

"What did you say?" Temari asked, as she raised an eyebrow wondering if he'd be pushing it today.

"Nothing," he rolled his eyes, "What's up?"

Before the girls could answer, they heard Kiba yelp as he was pushed off the couch.

"That's what you get for cheating," Naruto huffed.

"How the fuck was I cheating? You were an open shot for me, you didn't even try to hide!"

Kiba immediately leaped back onto the couch, grabbing Naruto's collar and pulling his fist back. He bared his teeth menacingly, as Naruto glared at him and grabbed Kiba's collar to show that he wasn't about to back down.

Sasuke and Neji stepped in and separated the boys from each other.

"No fighting," Neji said sternly. "We can't have you guys breaking more furniture."

"Yeah," Chouji said from the chair he was lounging on. "Remember when you guys almost ruined our Thanksgiving potluck?"

"He fucking started it!" Kiba growled.

"No way, Kiba was cheating somehow! Believe it!"

"Believe what? That I'm going to fucking beat your face in?" Kiba stepped forward, but Neji rolled his eyes and kept him still.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata frowned.

She was always worried whenever the two fought. Seeing her best friend and boyfriend fight always made her feel anxious. Despite how volatile the pair were, Naruto and Kiba still chose to live together in an apartment near campus. And since they spent so much time together, the fights were frequent, and you never knew how serious it could get. Two months ago during a house party, Naruto was so drunk that he got aggressive and threw Kiba through the glass sliding door that led to the backyard.

"Ah, don't worry Hinata. We're just messing around," Naruto immediately lightened up. He always hated making her worry.

Sakura didn't even hesitate before she slapped Naruto in the back of the head.

"Honestly, you guys need to stop being so annoying."

"Ow, Sakura-chan," Naruto whined. "I think dating Sasuke has made him rub onto you. You never called me annoying before!"

"Oh please," Tenten rolled her eyes. "She's always thought you were annoying. We _all_ did, too."

Neji smirked from the girl's remark, as he stepped over and placed his arm around her.

"So what are you ladies doing here? I thought you were going to do girl things today."

"If by _girl things,_ you mean shopping, then yes, we are," Tenten leaned her head onto his shoulder. "We need another car though, we can't all fit into Ino's."

Kiba's ears perked up, and he finally noticed the other girl standing in the room. He furrowed his brows, trying to remember if he'd seen her before.

"Yeah, we came to ask if we could borrow Shikamaru's since his isn't stick shift," Ino frowned. "I still don't understand why you guys all need those fancy ass cars."

Shikamaru looked at the girls and nodded his head, "I don't mind as long as Temari's driving it. Don't really trust the rest of you."

Hinata frowned, knowing very well that her driving skills were probably the safest of the girls.

"Or Hinata's," Shikamaru grinned. "Sorry about that. And Koharu, I don't really know how well you drive."

The girl smiled, "It's fine, I'd rather we didn't talk about my driving."

"HEY," Naruto finally noticed her presence. "Who are you?"

Temari walked over and took her turn at slapping the blonde in the head.

"Don't be rude," she rolled her eyes. "This is my friend Koharu, you'll be seeing more of her from now on."

Sasuke, Neji, and Shikamaru all knew of her since Temari had brought her over in the summer a couple times.

"Can we go now?" Ino crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, "I want to maximize our time if we'll be driving to the outlet mall. It's 30 minutes away."

Shikamaru handed his keys to Temari, and the girls quickly said their goodbyes as they walked back up the stairs.


	2. The Type

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 2

The Type

"That guy was cute," Koharu giggled to Temari.

"Oh god, which one?" she slowly started cringing at the idea of her best friend liking any of the guys in that room. Koharu had known Shikamaru since he asked Temari to be his girlfriend, but didn't know of the others that much and whether or not they had girlfriends.

"Wait, who do you think is cute?" Sakura instantly asked with her voice slightly squeaking. The pinkette had just met Koharu this week and was really liking the girl. But from past experiences, she always got wary whenever a new friend ended up having a thing for Sasuke. She wasn't down to have somebody chase her boyfriend.

Ino frowned as well. Although Sai didn't make himself noticeable, he was still very attractive and noticeable.

Always being more mature and sensible, Tenten knew better than to make assumptions. While 5 of the boys in there had significant others, there were still plenty of bachelors in the room. She smiled, "Yeah, which one? We've been friends with those guys forever, so this'll be fun."

The girls exited the house and started walking down the driveway. The house was normally left unlocked for the members of their quite large group to head in and out. With living in such a safe neighborhood and having expensive surveillance cameras throughout the property, Neji said it was fine to leave it that way.

"Well…" Koharu looked at Temari from the side. "You know my type, so I feel like you should be able to guess."

Temari thinned her lips, going down a mental list of all the guys in their group.

"What's your type?" Hinata tilted her head curiously. She wasn't that worried about Naruto. They had been going steady for almost the longest in the group, right behind Neji and Tenten.

"Oh god," Temari automatically began retching at the idea. She stopped a couple feet away from Ino's light blue car, making everybody else pause to look back at the girl. "I hope I'm fucking wrong. You really need to get over that type you have."

"WHO IS IT?" Ino and Sakura exclaimed. The girl's reaction made them realize it most likely wouldn't be their boyfriends.

Tenten raised an eyebrow and started speaking slowly, "Didn't you say your last ex was…?"

"Kankuro…?" Hinata filled in questioningly.

Koharu had just transferred to Konoha University, so all the girls were slowly getting to know her more. But the past week had allowed them to get plenty of girl talk and gossip in.

Everybody took the silence, trying to put two and two together. If her ex was Kankuro, who in that room seemed similar enough to match a type that the girl had?

Temari's strong voice broke everybody's train of thought.

"That guy's an even bigger idiot than Naruto and hasn't been in a stable relationship in years."

Sakura's stomach slightly turned at what Temari said. She easily picked up who it was as all the girls in the group had always worried about the boy in question.

Hinata paled and defended her best friend, "K-Kiba? He's not that bad. He has a really big heart."

While that was true, it didn't diminish Temari's statement. Sakura began feeling a little uncomfortable at what she said.

Kiba hadn't been in a stable relationship in years. In fact, the only "stable" relationship he had was with Sakura during their first year of college. The two mutually agreed to break up after almost a year when they had realized Sakura wasn't fully invested, as her thoughts were still on Sasuke.

The gang all knew Kiba was devastated. Since then, Kiba didn't exactly have the best reputation on campus. Almost every person at KU knew of him as a complete fuck boy. To this day, Sakura still felt guilty for what happened and blamed herself for the way he turned out. The guy just wanted to have fun, and broke almost every girl's heart along the way.

"Are you just automatically attracted to loud assholes?" Ino smirked, "or is it because he's buff and has brown hair?"

"That's probably the best way to describe my type, so yeah, I guess." Koharu grinned mischievously. "Muscles are always nice, but the whole brunette thing is a coincidence."

"This is different," Temari sighed. "He's completely different from Kankuro."

"I'm still more shocked at the fact that you dated your best friend's boyfriend," Tenten chimed in.

Koharu shrugged, "I mean, I always made sure our friendship came first. Her brother's hot, but I wouldn't ruin our friendship for it."

"You're not dating him anymore," Temari massaged her forehead with her eyes shut. This conversation was giving her a headache, and she knew it wouldn't go away if Koharu continued with her feelings. "You don't need to call him hot."

"Actually, I'd love to hear the details about you two," Ino grinned evilly. "Kankuro's a pretty big guy, he must've been real fun in bed."

"Oh my god," Temari started walking away. "I'm going to Shikamaru's car. Whoever wants to be in my car, fine by me, just don't talk about my little brother."

Koharu looked over at Ino, "Guess I'm in your car."

Sakura giggled, "I'll go follow her to make sure she doesn't crash."

"And we're not done talking about your crush!" Temari shouted from the other side of the street.

Ino looked at Hinata, surprised that she chose to stay despite what they may be discussing in the car.

Hinata blushed, "I actually thought Kankuro was quite handsome when I first saw him."

Ino and Koharu squealed as they got into the car, with Hinata following in the backseat.


	3. The Second

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 3

The Second

The second time he met her, he didn't know what to think. Especially with their first official interaction being so awkward.

"Sai, stop!"

Giggling could be heard from the living room as it rang through the empty house. A romantic comedy was being played on the large screen, but seemed to have been forgotten a while ago as the couple sitting on the couch were far too engrossed with each other.

"If Sasuke and Sakura want to flake on us, that's their fault," Sai continued nipping at his girlfriend's neck. His hands were slowly traveling away from her waist and towards more intimate areas.

"What if somebody walks in on us? We can't!"

Ino lightly swatted his hands away, but didn't put up a fight as he pushed her over and easily climbed on top.

"Oh please, you act like we haven't done anything in this house before," Sai smirked. He nuzzled his head into her neck and allowed more of his body weight to fall onto her. "Besides, nobody's home, and I haven't heard anything about anybody coming here today. They all seem like they have plans."

"Sai…" Ino protested. She opened her mouth to speak, but lost her train of thought as she looked into his dark, hazy eyes. The intensity from his stare made her realize how long it had been since they were alone with each other. Suddenly, being caught didn't seem like a possibility anymore.

He lowered himself on her and captured her lips. She complied with running her hands through his hair, deepening the kiss.

The two continued having their fun as the previous giggling was replaced with soft moans that echoed through the living room of the large house.

* * *

Kiba grumbled as he sped down the road in his motorcycle.

Leave it to him to leave one of his organic chemistry textbooks at the house. He was sitting in his room, ready to begin his assignment when he realized the book was missing. Seeing as how the last time he opened it was when he was studying with Shikamaru, he realized he had most likely left it at the house.

While the drive was only about 7 minutes, he was still annoyed at how he needed to put on clothes to leave the house. Honestly, he wasn't even feeling productive anymore.

He turned and drove up the driveway, and quickly got off his bike. Sliding the helmet off his head as he walked towards the front door, he realized there was somebody standing there.

The girl was quite petite, definitely shorter than the other girls in the group. Long ebony hair flowed down her back. She wore a sheer pink crop top with white lace high-waisted shorts; her feet were strapped in black sandals and she was carrying a black, leather backpack. For some odd reason, she was just standing in front of the doorway looking at her phone.

"Oi," Kiba said gruffly.

The girl slightly jumped before turning around.

Kiba raised his left eyebrow as he gave her a once over. Her skin was pale as it peeped through the sheer top she wore. Underneath it, he could see her bralette that showed she wasn't as petite as she seemed. Her eyes were a light orchid shade. She peered at him curiously, hesitant to speak first.

"Are you looking for someone?" Kiba asked. She seemed familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

The girl blushed lightly and her eyes casted towards the side as she answered.

"Oh yeah, sorry. My roommate sent me to pick something up from a guy who lives here, but I realized I don't have his phone number. Do you live here?"

"Uhh.." Kiba shifted his helmet over to his left arm, allowing him to grab his phone out of his pocket. "I don't live here, but I do spend a lot of time here. I'm actually just here to pick up something I left. Who are you looking for? I can try contacting them."

"Shikamaru," the girl shrugged. "I honestly have no idea what I'm getting, but when my roommate sent me she said it'd be easy to find since it's just stuff inside a box on his desk."

"Oh, you're Temari's friend, right?"

"Yes, sorry about that," the girl smiled. "I should've introduced myself earlier, I'm Hirai Koharu."

"Inuzuka Kiba," he smirked. The girl was pretty cute; it had been a while since he'd met someone that he considered attractive. Most of the girls he talked to were hot, but none really sparked his interest.

"Honestly, the door's normally unlocked. You can just go in and get whatever Temari needs."

Kiba walked past her and reached for the doorknob.

"Oh, I just feel bad since- "

The minute Kiba opened the door, a high pitch scream erupted from the girl sitting on the couch.

"What the fuck?" Kiba questioned, both confused yet also amused. Koharu was standing behind Kiba, but was definitely able to get a good view of what was going on. She blushed and looked elsewhere. A good 5 seconds passed before anybody spoke.

"You guys sure seem busy," Kiba grinned.

Sai was trying his best to cover Ino with a jacket, as they were both in their underwear. Dark, purple bruises could be seen on both of their necks, and their hair was disheveled from their strenuous activities.

"Oh my god, Kiba. What are you doing here?" Ino seethed, "Fuck off. We're occupied!"

"Yeah, I can clearly see that. But for the record, you don't even live here either. We're just here to get our shit." He casually strolled past them, as if this were completely normally.

Koharu gaped at his ability to ignore the fact that they had just barged in on them. If they had stalled a couple minutes more, who knows what position they might have been in.

"Uh…" Sai paused, "Are you gonna get your stuff or are you just going to stand there? I normally prefer to finish what I started."

"SAI!" Ino punched him in cheek, causing him to fall over from the couch. His hands immediately went from holding the jacket to cradling the red mark on his face.

Kiba reappeared from the hallway, strode briskly through and grabbed Koharu's hand on the way out.

"Have fun guys!" he shouted as he kicked the door shut.

He pulled her towards the driveway, stopping and letting go of her hand when they reached his motorcycle.

"Here, I believe this is what you were looking for," he held out a small dark grey box. "It was the only one on his desk, so I assume it's right."

"Oh," Koharu blushed as she accepted the box. "Thanks, you saved me from going in there."

Kiba stuffed his own textbook into the backpack that was waiting for him on his motorcycle.

"Yeah, but I couldn't save you from seeing that shit," he grinned cheekily.

She rolled her eyes, "it's ok, it's the thought that counts. Thanks though, I better head back with this."

Kiba scanned the surrounding area and quickly noticed that there weren't any cars nearby.

"You don't have a car?"

"Nope, I live on campus in an apartment so I just walked here. It's not that far."

Kiba paused. If she was Temari's friend, he assumed he'd be seeing her more often from now on, possibly even hanging out with their group. Normally he'd be too selfish to offer somebody a ride (especially if he wasn't going to get anything out of it), but the girl seemed sweet so why not?

He reached into the small storage compartment and fished out the spare helmet he kept. He offered it to her, her head tilting as she looked at it surprised.

"Here, get on. I'll give you a ride. I don't live that far from campus so if anything, it'll be on the way for me."

"Mmm..." Koharu quickly scanned the bike with her eyes. She didn't have a problem riding motorcycles, but after talking late into the night with Temari about this boy, she wasn't sure if she should even be anywhere near him.

"Relax, it's not that worse off than a car. I'll go easy too if you can't handle it," Kiba smirked. He got on the bike and turned it on.

The two silently stared each other down. As much as Koharu knew she should say no, the idea of riding with him made her giddy. Besides, it was just a ride home, it wasn't like they were going anywhere together.

"Fine," she sighed, attempting to seem unphased by him and his good looks. Koharu strapped on the helmet and swung her leg over. She had been on plenty of motorcycles back home, and didn't need any help from him.

She tucked the small box into her backpack. Rather than securely hugging him, she chose to place her hands on the small metal handles that were at the back of her seat.

Kiba placed his helmet on and drove them out of the driveway, but once they were on the street, he turned around to speak to her.

"Sorry, but you're going to want to hang onto me."

Before Koharu could even question him, he sped up immediately. She shrieked, and instantly wrapped her arms around him, pulling her body right up against his.

It was only the end of August, so the summer heat was blazing down on them. As they zipped through the streets of Konoha, Koharu didn't loosen up her grip on him. She blushed at how big Kiba seemed compared to her, but wiped the thoughts out of her mind the moment they pulled into the campus drop off zone.

Kiba brought them to the end of the drop off U. Before he could even kick the stand down, she jumped off the bike and whipped the helmet off her head.

"What happened to going easy on me?" she yelled, flustered by the ride.

Kiba slowly took the helmet off his head, swiping his hair back as he did and making eye contact.

"What are you talking about? I was actually under the speed limit for once," he didn't seem to notice her stare.

"This city needs to fix its traffic laws…" she grumbled. Wanting to leave right away, she handed over the helmet to him, "Thanks for the ride. It was nice meeting you."

She turned around and began walking away. He was surprised at how quick she was, and got a good look at her ass as she strode off.

"Hey," he yelled at her. Koharu stopped and turned her head to look at him.

"You wanna hang out tonight or something?"

Kiba wasn't sure what came over him. But hey, she was cute, and if she was Temari's friend, she must be alright and not annoying like the fan girls he came across. Everybody knew Temari didn't have the best temper or patience when it came to other girls.

Koharu grinned, surprised by his question.

"You wish."

She turned back and continued walking, going up the stairs that led to the main road on campus.

Kiba frowned, and leaned on the palm of his hand as he watched her walk away. Most girls would consider themselves lucky to hang out with him, let alone get a ride from him.

'You wish'?


	4. The Shot

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 4

The Shot

Naruto slammed the empty pint glass onto the countertop. His cheeks and ears were red from all the alcohol he had been consuming. He looked over to his left and saw that Sasuke was in what seemed to be a serious conversation with Shino. To his right, Shikamaru and Sai were typing furiously on their cell phones, most likely arguing with their girlfriends.

"Hinata won't be happy if you get too drunk again."

Naruto turned around towards the direction of the voice, smiling sloppily.

"Oh come on Neji! It's been a while since we've had a guy's night, give me a break."

Neji snorted, "Honestly just waiting for the day that Hinata realizes she's too good for you."

Shikamaru shoved his phone into his pocket and leaned back against the bar.

"Don't be troublesome, Neji. You know that's not true."

Sai leaned over, "Yeah, you should be glad she's dating dickless. He'll never do anything to her."

Naruto's head snapped towards Sai's direction, "HEY! Knock it off, Sai!"

Lee stumbled out of the dance floor towards the direction of his friends.

"My youthful friends! Let's take this night as an opportunity to drink and have as much fun as possible in our presence! Without the ladies here, we can let loose and truly show our masculinity."

Sasuke cringed at the way he was speaking and whispered towards Shino, "Fuck, I hate it whenever he gets drunk. He always turns into a lecturing old man."

Lee was too drunk to notice the looks on their faces, and continued dancing away to the beat that was being blasted over the club. He grabbed Naruto's hand and flailed his limbs everywhere in an attempt to get him to dance along.

Naruto scrunched up his face, "I'm drunk, but not _this_ drunk."

"Guess you need another shot then!"

Everybody turned their attention towards Kiba, he grinned at them with a look of content as he walked past Naruto and nodded at the bartender.

"Round of shots, on me."

The bartender went straight to setting up the drinks in a line.

Shino looked at his best friend, his mouth in a thin line. With an eyebrow raised questioningly, he asked what they were all thinking.

"What happened to that girl you were with?"

Naruto's eyes hardened, "Yeah, weren't you just with Haruhi?"

Kiba grabbed the shot glasses and started sliding the towards each of his friends. He held one in his hand and turned around to face them.

"Who knows, somewhere in the club," he shrugged. "Drink up boys!"

He tipped the shot glass and the whiskey poured down his throat. Lee and Sai were the only ones who complied, while everybody looked questioningly at Kiba.

Kiba noticed everybody's looked and silently hoped they wouldn't push the subject.

"What, I buy you guys a drink and you're not down?"

Choji stopped eating from the bag of chips he was holding to speak for the first time.

"Isn't Haruhi really nice?" he mumbled.

Shikamaru agreed with Choji, "Yeah, she is. Weren't you guys together for a good two weeks? She seemd really into you."

Kiba glanced at the two from the side, before looking back down on the floor. He didn't want to make eye contact with them anymore if they were just going to question his short relationships.

The sound of glass hitting the counter caught everybody's attention. Sasuke had finished the shot and the impact of the glass was much louder than necessary.

"That girl's actually in one of Sakura's lab groups. She's going to kill me if she finds out I didn't try to get her home safe."

Choji and Shikamaru nodded, finished their shots, and followed him saying they'd help.

"I hate clubs anyways, they're too troublesome."

Choji looked over at Naruto, "Sorry Naruto, I think we're going to end guy's night a little early."

Choji stared at Kiba, but the brunette refused to remove his gaze from the floor. Shikamaru placed a hand on Choji's shoulder, and tipped his head in a sign to just leave him be. The three headed into the bustling crowd on the dance floor in an attempt to find the poor girl.

Naruto frowned, and stared at Kiba. While Naruto was upset at his actions, he knew that deep down, he was plenty confused about his own actions.

Kiba had been like this ever since he had broken up with Sakura. At the start, he just fooled around every now and then. Recently, however, his actions towards girls had been more frequent and possibly worse. The number of times Naruto had seen a girl crying at their door asking for Kiba was starting to wear him down and make him lose faith in his friend.

"Kiba," Shino spoke up. His voice was low, yet clear. He had settled himself to stand right next to him.

Kiba looked up at his best friend, his eyes showing his confusion and regret. While he wasn't the one to apologize because of his pride, he knew when to listen to others.

"I don't need to lecture you about your actions. We're your friends, and we can tell just from looking at you that you're not happy."

Kiba and Naruto silently listened. Neji and Sai knew to leave them their privacy, as they moved to take care of Lee as he had begun stumbling and needed help walking.

"You're not 18 anymore. And while we are nowhere near the age of settling down, you need to fix yourself. You're clearly not happy and you've been using this destructive behavior to hold onto a grudge that should've been let go years ago."

Kiba stayed silent and reflected on Shino's words. While he hated to admit it, he still had negative feelings for Sakura. While he wasn't sure if he wanted a relationship, he had to acknowledge the fact that his resentment led him to hate any sign of commitment.

"Let's get out of here," Naruto swung his arm around his shoulder. He grinned at his friend in reassurance.

"We can have another guy's night next week," he grinned.

Kiba looked up in surprise. He saw the look on Naruto's face and grinned, feeling relieved.


	5. The Third

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 5

The Third

The third time he ran into her, he was surprised. He wasn't sure if he was more surprised by who she turned out to be or more by his reaction.

It was the beginning of September, so the weather was beginning to cool down. The leaves were starting to fade as their colors changed from their usual bright green colors to more warm tones. The boys had started back on their regular hockey practices, as they were all a part of the KU team. First semester they played ice hockey, second semester they played baseball.

"Whew!" Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as they all headed out of the athletics building. "Thank god it's Friday, I'm done with this week."

Shikamaru lazily followed the blonde, "You didn't even do any studying this week. I was the one that reminded you about the paper due next week."

"I still can't believe you're both the same majors," Neji glanced towards them. "You'd think Political Science would be too troublesome for you, and too confusing for Naruto."

"At least I won't grow old as some greedy old business mogul," Naruto sneered. "It really does fit you and teme's personalities."

"Idiot…" Sasuke whispered under his breath. He was sore from practice and wasn't in the mood to argue with the loud blonde.

Kiba and Chouji followed closely behind, glad they weren't being tied into this mess. While their majors were kind of expected from them, they always hated being looked down upon for their choices; whether it be that they weren't smart enough for it, or that their profession was too different.

"I think we should just be grateful that we're doing well in our courses. Let's remember that a lot of us still have to do graduate school after this," Shino added.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Kiba groaned. "Can we just have some fun since it's Friday? You guys wanna go downtown and grab a bite to eat?"

"Sorry," Shikamaru replied. "Me and Choji got something to do."

Neji nodded towards Sasuke, "We need to work on a special project together for the firms. We'll be free Sunday, however."

Kiba sighed, and looked at Naruto with hope.

"Don't tell me you got work to do, too."

"Not exactly," Naruto lifted his to scratch the back of his head, grinning with guilt. "I promised Hinata I'd take her out. She's been complaining about watching that new Disney princess movie for a while."

Kiba made a face at the boys, "Bah, you guys are no fun anyways."

They all headed towards their respective vehicles. Waving goodbye as each vehicle left the lot, Kiba took his time with his motorcycle. He slung his duffel bag so that it strapped securely across his chest. It was times like this when he wished he had brought his car to university, instead of his motorcycle. When you had to carry things with you, a bike just wasn't the best choice.

He weaved through the smaller streets of KU. Pausing at a stop sign, he saw Koharu walking on the sidewalk. It seemed like she had just finished working out, as she was carrying a duffel bag with her as well.

He quickly pulled up next to her, surprising her as she stepped back slightly. She clutched her bag closer to her until she realized it was Kiba on the bike.

"Yo," he grinned. "Finished with your yoga?"

She looked at him with a blank face, "I don't do yoga."

Kiba took off his helmet, noticing the annoyance in her tone. She was wearing black running shorts with an unzipped pink windbreaker that showed her black sports bra underneath.

"Geez, sorry. Just making a joke. You just came from the gym?"

She ran her fingers through her hair, in attempt to fix how messy she looked.

"Nah, I was at practice, too. You guys aren't the only ones on a KU sports team."

Surprised, Kiba raised an eyebrow at her. She seemed too small to be doing any sport.

Koharu noticed the look on his face and smiled, "I do gymnastics. I just joined the team last week, but I've been doing it for a while. That, and cheer make up my life."

"Ahh," Kiba kicked the stand on his bike down. "Wasn't expecting that. Tenten's the only one that really does anything outside of shopping from the other girls."

Crossing her arms, she didn't reply and waited for him to state his reason for coming up to her.

"Well since you're done with practice, wanna hang out? All the guys ditched me for work and shit," he rolled his eyes. "We were supposed to have a guy's night."

He could feel her eyes scanning him as she continued with the same expressionless face. Koharu still liked the brunette, but was wary of him and his reputation. His reason seemed simple enough, but the idea that he would try something on her lingered in the back of her mind.

"Mm… Ok," she finally replied, her gaze on the sun setting. "But can you give me a ride home first? I'd rather shower and put on real clothes."

Kiba shrugged and agreed. As she settled herself behind him on the motorcycle, she directed him towards her and Temari's apartment.


	6. The Puzzle

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 6

The Puzzle

"Make yourself comfortable, I'll be real quick."

She slipped off her shoes and padded through the apartment, dropping her duffel bag next to the coffee table on the way. After closing what he assumed was her bedroom door, Kiba got a good look at the small apartment. He had never been in Temari's apartment before since he was never that close to her. Of the girls, he was closest to Hinata.

Everything looked like it had been modeled after one of those home design magazines. The living room was simple, with different tones of blues and greys. It was connected to the kitchen, with a small granite bar separating the spaces. The furniture was very simple, and the only decoration were the photographs placed in different frames on the walls.

Kiba walked over to the pictures that lined the walls. A majority of them were just pictures of Temari and Koharu, some were much older than others. He noticed every now and then, Shikamaru and Temari's brothers (Gaara and Kankuro) were also in them. Amongst all the photos, one of the frames was flipped so that the photo was facing the wall.

Curious, Kiba reached out to reverse it but heard shuffling from the bedroom. His hand drew back and he decided to settle himself on the white couch. Moments later, Koharu reemerged from her bedroom.

Her hair was slightly damp from the shower, and she wore high waisted jean shorts, thigh high black socks, and a cropped lavender sweater. As she walked out, she noticed Kiba was messing around with the puzzle on the coffee table.

"You like puzzles?" she smiled.

He dropped the pieces he was holding onto, and ruffled his hair. "Uhh, not really. I never really had the patience for them."

"Oh," she plopped down next to him on the couch. "That's too bad, me and Temari have been doing them since we were little. We have a giant collection of them. Since we're finally living together, we can actually work on bigger ones."

He eyed her as she began trying to fit the edges together.

"You and Temari have been friends for a while, huh? I saw the pictures on the wall."

Koharu easily fit together 4 edge pieces that made out some sort of green shape.

"Yeah, we've been best friends since we were little. Our fathers know each other, so our families are quite close."

After watching her fit more edge pieces together, Kiba felt the urge to beat her by finishing the opposite side.

"So you're from the Sand, too?"

"Mmm..." she thought out loud as she began working inwards, "No, I'm actually not from the connecting Lands. I'm from a small island, closer to the Land of Wind, south of here."

Kiba's hands paused for a moment, as he turned to look towards her. He had lived in Konoha his entire life, and had heard about the Five Great Shinobi Countries, so anything outside of it were extremely foreign to him.

"So…" he seemed puzzled, unsure of what to ask next. He suddenly realized he knew nothing about this girl, even though she was starting to become a more permanent fixture in their group. He had seen the girls hanging out with her more frequently, and even heard about Neji and Sasuke being with her to study.

Kiba paused, and took in the sight of her as she calmly fit more pieces in together. He continued asking her more questions and they began completing more of the puzzle.

After two hours, the puzzle was almost complete. Less than 10 pieces were left, and the image of Konoha's landscape was forming ahead of them.

From the time spent together, he learned that she had been friends with Temari since she was 7, and traveled frequently from her small island to Sunagakure. The climate was more similar to Suna, where it was consistently hot year-round, so she was anxious about the impending winter.

Koharu had 3 older brothers, and was the youngest in her family. Her father was an important government official, which is why he was friends with the Kazekage, until recently the political turmoil surrounding the Kazekage grew thick. She had attended the only college on her island, but was tired of being stuck there her entire life, so she decided to transfer to KU to be closer to her best friend. She currently studied Business (which explained why she hung out with Sasuke and Neji), and planned on working for some big corporate firm to stay out of her island.

Koharu learned that Kiba was currently a Biology major, with an emphasis in Animal Science, as he was planning on becoming a veterinarian. He worked as an assistant in a Vet office, on top of being a full-time student and doing sports. He'd been best friends with Shino and Hinata since they were children, but their own giant group formed throughout middle school and high school. It was a pure coincidence, and luck, that they all happened to attend the same university.

They continued fitting in the last couple pieces of the puzzle.

"You know, I didn't expect you to be a bio major," Koharu tilted her head as she got stuck on a spot in the puzzle.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" he smirked, as he grabbed the piece out of her hand and put it in its correct spot.

She stopped, rested her cheek against her hand as she leaned forward, and smiled at him flirtatiously, "Just surprised. I heard STEM majors are normally the studious type. You know, more like nerds or losers."

He shifted closer to her, allowing his knee to hit hers, and rested his arm on the couch behind her as he leaned back. Koharu began forming the last 3 pieces.

"Yeah?" he raised an eyebrow, "What do I seem more like to you, then?"

As she fit the last piece into its respective spot, the front door wiggled briefly as it unlocked and opened.

Behind it, Shikamaru was holding two plastic bags. He looked up, and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw Kiba and Koharu on the couch. He was smart to lose the look of shock as he walked in, taking his shoes off.

"Hope I'm not bothering you guys," he said, as he placed the bags on the bar counter top.

"Nope," Koharu replied. She scooted away from Kiba, before reaching under the coffee table to grab a bottle of tacky glue and a little plastic spatula. "We were just finishing up this puzzle. Where's Temari?"

Shikamaru walked over, and deliberately sat right in between the two.

"Not sure, we had some plans for dinner tonight so I thought I'd just chill here until then."

Koharu was busy spreading the glue on top of the puzzle, as Shikamaru leaned back and looked at Kiba in the eyes. His stare was aloof, but Kiba could pick up the tension. He didn't move as the two stared each other down.

Finally, Shikamaru frowned, and turned away to grab another plastic spatula from under the coffee table. He helped Koharu spread the rest of the glue onto the massive puzzle.

Once they were done, Koharu stood up to stretch, letting out a small sigh. She turned around and shared a small look with Shikamaru. She could tell that he had a couple questions for her. She wasn't worried, and was more glad that Temari hadn't come back with him.

She smiled sweetly, "I'll be right back, bathroom break."

As soon as she left, Shikamaru's head snapped towards Kiba.

"Get out."

The look on Kiba's face changed and he narrowed his eyes, "What?"

"Temari could be home any minute and I don't want to deal with her fucking screaming. I don't know why you're here, but we'll talk about it later."

Kiba sucked the inside of his cheek, as he considered Shikamaru's words.

"Fine, but tell her I said I'll call her."

"… You have her fucking number?"

He swiftly grabbed his helmet and put on his shoes; opening the door, he paused and gave Shikamaru a stern look, "And we're not done with this conversation."

Shikamaru nodded, as he was just as serious about this topic. Once Kiba was out the door, he sighed, locking his fingers together to lean forward and think.

Koharu entered the living room, noticing that Kiba was gone. Shikamaru slowly turned his head, giving her an empty stare.

"Care to explain?"


	7. The Fourth

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 7

The Fourth

The fourth time he saw her, he was nervous. Not "oh wow, she looks gorgeous" nervous, more like "holy shit I'm going to die" nervous.

Kiba had briefly made eye contact with her as she was walking down the stairs in the bleachers, taking his helmet off to get a good look at her. He took note of her short skirt and thigh high boots, before he recognized a giant blonde blur as it smacked right into him.

"Kiba, what's wrong with you?" was the first thing he heard as he looked up at the ceiling. The blurriness in his vision slowly dwindled as he recognized the faces crowded around him.

"There's a reason why you're supposed to keep your helmet on the entire time," Neji said, as he crouched down to help him slowly sit up.

Sai sighed, "You think he'll be even dumber than dickless now?"

Naruto ignored the rude remark as he crouched down in front of his roommate.

"You ok? What happened? You just completely stopped and I couldn't dodge you in time."

Holding his head, Kiba mumbled something about being fine, as he looked up into the bleachers to see if Koharu was still there.

Shikamaru frowned, and followed his line of sight to see the girl standing up against the glass, with a bewildered look on her face.

"Oh, I get it," Shikamaru frowned as he crossed his arms.

"Wha…" Naruto started, before he and everybody else on the team looked up to see Koharu. "Hey, why's Koharu here? Practice isn't done yet."

"Actually it ends in 10 minutes," Neji stated. "But let's just end here since Kiba's injured."

Neji and Sasuke helped Kiba up, leading him towards the locker room. Everybody else followed except for Shikamaru, who skated towards Koharu.

The boys finished changing and were walking down the hallway towards the exit. Kiba was carrying an ice pack against his head, with Naruto babbling next to him about the upcoming game and how they needed to have an after party.

"Yo," Shikamaru stated, appearing from around the corner. Koharu followed behind him, gaining a mixture of surprised and happy looks.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted, grinning from ear to ear. "What are you doing here? The girls don't normally come to our practices. You came just in time when Kiba got murdered by me."

Sasuke and Neji watched silently, as they both had already heard from Shikamaru what had been going on.

Koharu tilted her head innocently, "Oh you know, just visiting. I just finished practice so I thought I'd come to visit. Your practices sure look interesting."

"And you look awfully cold," Sai commented, noting the way she crossed her arms in an attempt to warm herself up. The thin sweater she wore didn't seem to do anything, and the skirt didn't help much either.

Without thinking, Kiba brought down the ice pack on his head to hand her the jacket that was draped on his duffel bag. She looked surprised, before thanking him nonchalantly and putting it over herself.

Shino observed the small gesture and quickly caught on the strange feeling in the air. Shikamaru, Neji, and Sasuke obviously knew something; Kiba never offered anything to a girl unless it was Hinata, and Koharu did not look like she had just finished practice. Anybody could tell that she had taken the extra time for her appearance.

"You think you'd wear more if you went to an ice rink," Sai painted on his smile, knowing very well how rude his comment was.

"Uh…" Koharu paused, not accustomed to his attitude. "I've actually never been to one, so I wouldn't know."

She stared at him, wondering if he would try to test her. She knew the other boys quite well, but her interactions with Sai had been very limited. All she knew was that Ino praised him as the ultimate loving and doting boyfriend.

"Well," coughed Shikamaru, turning his body as a signal for them to head out. "I have a lot of work tonight."

They all exited the building and headed towards the parking lot. Everybody began slowly splitting up, but Sai chose to stick next to Koharu. Shikamaru, Neji, and Sasuke were forced to follow as they were all heading back to the house.

"I thought you didn't have a car," Sai pointed out.

"… I don't," she narrowed her eyes at him.

His lips continued with the same fake smile that he had perfected over the years.

"Then why did you walk to the parking lot with us? It would've been much faster for you to walk the path towards campus."

Koharu didn't comment immediately, but shifted her eyes towards Shikamaru. Her eyes screamed at the boy, begging him to get Sai to just leave. Kiba awkwardly stood by, unsure of what to say. Sasuke and Neji chose to remain silent, not wanting to get pulled into the trap.

Done with the unpleasant feeling, Koharu smiled innocently, "Sai, did you ever tell the guys where that stain on their couch came from?"

Ino never had a problem detailing her sex life, and the day that Koharu ran into her and Sai on the couch happened to be a very messy one.

Sai's mouth snapped into a straight line. He immediately turned around and walked away towards the direction of the car.

A look of disgust crawled onto Shikamaru's face, mumbling "We need a new couch…"

Without saying another word, the boys followed Sai, surely to question his actions once they all got into the vehicle.

* * *

They ate dinner at a shabu shabu restaurant, as Koharu had yet to try many of the dishes that were popular in the region. Joking and getting to know each other more, Kiba brought them back on campus afterwards.

"I hate you," she giggled.

He held her hand as he pushed open the doors towards the ice rink.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun. You can teach me how to do a backflip or something later in return."

During the day, the campus rink was reserved for private practices for student athletes and teams. At night, it opened up to the student population. People could rent ice skates and spend as much time as they wanted on the ice.

After lacing up, Kiba headed straight for the ice. He waited patiently as she walked awkwardly on the carpet. Once she reached the entrance to the rink, her grip on the side wall turned white.

"I'm not down anymore."

"Scared?" he teased. He moved closer, taking her free hand and lightly pulled her onto the ice.

The minute Koharu's skates skimmed the surface, she shrieked and slipped. Kiba's laugh rang loudly as he acted quickly, expecting this type of reaction from the small girl. He moved closer and wrapped his other arm around her, allowing her to hold onto him for balance.

"How is this fun?" she yelled, looking up at him.

Kiba couldn't help but smile as he looked down at her. She was clearly flustered from the unusual environment, and lost her normally proud and mighty attitude. They had been constantly texting each other throughout the week and slowly learning more about each other. It was odd; he had grown to be naturally curious about her and had been waiting for this night since they finished that puzzle.

The night continued on. Koharu fell almost a dozen times and Kiba's laughter grew louder every single time. Once they grew tired, he escorted her out and drove her back to her apartment.

"Oh, before I forget," she held out his team jacket that had his name sewn onto the sleeve.

Kiba looked down on it for a moment, then grinned, "Nah, keep it till the game. You can't seem to survive in the cold for some odd reason."

A smile grew on her face as she stepped forward, her hand reaching up to touch the side of his face.

"Thanks…" she whispered softly.

Kiba leaned in, wondering why it took him so ridiculously long to do this.

At the last moment, Koharu stepped back and held in her laughter. The look on his face was priceless.

She shouted goodbye as she ran into her apartment building, leaving Kiba confused and somewhat disappointed. Once she was out of sight, he couldn't help but grin; despite not kissing her, he considered it a successful date.

He drove back home quite content with how the evening had turned out. He had to wake up early for work in the morning but honestly didn't care. He stepped into his apartment to see Naruto and Hinata on the couch.

Naruto's head popped up, "Where the hell were you? It's getting late."

Kiba sneered, "I was on a da-"

Freezing up, Kiba's eyes widened. Hinata noticed the look of fear in her friend's face and grew worried.

"Kiba-kun? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

His mouth still open, he was trying to recognize what he was about to say. The idea that he was going to say "date" honestly terrified him. Whenever Kiba went out with a girl, he never considered it a date; he hadn't used that word for himself since his first year with Sakura. Not only that, he didn't even know if it was a date. His stomach tightened at the idea – was it a date?

Did he _want_ it to be a date?


	8. The Reminder

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 8

The Reminder

Shino loved peace and quiet. That was the original reason why he agreed to live with Sai – the guy didn't talk much unless you provoked him to spout bullshit. The pale Sasuke look-alike was very neat and wasn't even home much because he was always out painting.

What Shino didn't take into consideration, however, was Sai's girlfriend.

The sound of creaking and moaning could be heard through the walls. Every now and then, there would be a loud crash or slapping noise. Shino couldn't help but cringe as he tried to wipe away the curiosity that made him wonder what caused these strange sounds.

"Curse these thin university walls…" he mumbled to himself, as he reached for his headphones.

As he was about to plug them into his laptop, a loud banging came from the front door. Frowning, Shino stood up to get the door until he recognized the loud screaming that was being emitted behind it.

He stared at it, wondering if the creature would go away eventually.

"I know you're in there! Stop jacking off and pay attention to me."

Sighing, he opened the door to find Kiba standing there.

"About time," he huffed.

"What is it?" Shino spoke with the usual annoyed tone, "I'm studying."

Before Kiba could respond, Ino screamed from the other room for Sai to "go harder."

Kiba looked bewildered from the sudden interruption. "How the fuck do you even study with THAT?"

Shino adjusted his glasses and tried to ignore the moans that grew louder and louder.

"What do you want? It's late at night and I need to wake up early tomorrow."

Kiba ignored him and sat down on the couch, taking note of the miscellaneous items on the coffee table. Shrugging, he started flipping through the sketch book that Sai had left out. After what seemed like the most awkward minute of listening to Sai and Ino have sex, Shino sat down next to his best friend.

"So are you going to tell me? Or do I just need to assume that you slept with her and you're worried that Temari will kill you."

Kiba threw the book down and glared at Shino. It was hard to intimidate somebody when they always covered up their face, but there was a reason why Shino and Kiba were so close all these years. They just somehow complimented each other with their drastically different personalities.

He headed towards the mini fridge and pulled out a beer. Shino waited patiently as Kiba chugged half the bottle.

"She wouldn't even let me kiss her."

"Are you upset that a girl has finally rejected you?" Shino asked, leaning on the armrest.

Kiba paced around, showing his anxiety that had been building up. Finally, he stopped and looked at Shino, fear evident in his eyes.

"I-I don't know if it was a date," Kiba admitted, his hand running through his hair in frustration. "We texted each other and agreed to hang out and we did. And, I just, I don't know. We had dinner and all that shit and… I guess it was it was fun. I made her try ice skating. She wouldn't let me kiss her and, I guess that's ok? Does it sound like a date?"

Shino's mouth dropped open. He was definitely not expecting this from his best friend. Kiba continued rambling on about what they did and talked about, unaware that the man on the couch was too busy thinking.

Shino had expected Kiba to come in and drink angrily while he complained about how the girl had not put out. He was nowhere prepared for something like this.

"It's about time you got over Sakura."

They both looked towards the newly open door. Sai leaned against the frame, wearing only boxer briefs and smiling innocently.

Kiba's mouth thinned, suddenly aware that other people could have heard him whining. About a _GIRL._

Ino popped out next to Sai, wearing what seemed like to be his t-shirt.

"Who would've ever thought that dog boy would stop being a whore?" she smiled slyly.

"UGHHH!" Kiba groaned as he flung himself back onto the couch.

* * *

The smoke made the air in the room heavy. The fragrance of the herb was strong, and the occupants laid down on the carpet as they continued breathing in the scent.

Temari walked over them, carrying a plate of tater tots and settling it down on the coffee table.

"He's so cute," giggled Koharu. She rolled onto her side to look at Shikamaru who was laying down on his stomach near her.

"He's not that great…" grumbled Temari. She stuffed a couple tots in her mouth, her eyes red from all the weed they had been smoking.

"Nevermind that," Shikamaru stated into the carpet. "What are you going to do?"

"Did I mention how he tried to kiss me?" she continued on, ignoring the question. "I moved last minute and the look on his face was hilarious!"

Temari rolled her eyes; she couldn't believe her ears right now. How the hell had her best friend developed a crush on somebody that was nowhere good enough for her?

"And he let me keep his jacket!" she laughed for the millionth time. It seemed like the sativa really lived up to its positive effects.

Shikamaru sighed, knowing that the girl would continue on like this for a while. Ever since she came home from her night with Kiba, she wouldn't stop babbling about the stupid brunette. He wondered silently if Temari was like this when they first started dating. The idea seemed impossible to imagine, but he had to admit, it sounded cute as fuck.

Enough with the conversation, Temari stood up and grabbed a picture on the wall.

"Yoohoo!" she jammed the picture into Koharu's hands. "Did you forget about something important?"

Koharu's eyes grew wide when she recognized the picture. Shikamaru looked up to see what was going on, and immediately regretted it. The look on Koharu's face was enough to make him feel guilty.

"I'm not trying to be mean," Temari huffed. "I'm just trying to be a good friend. You can keep talking about Kiba as much as you want, but I think you should slow down and think about you're doing. As much as I'd like to give Kiba shit and assume he's messing around, he might not be the only one."

Koharu rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling; the arm holding the picture fell to her side. It was an old photograph taken at Suna University. Koharu had been accepted to transfer to SU and Kankuro was giving her a tour of the campus. He decided to surprise her with a stuffed raccoon, the school mascot. In the picture, she could be seen laughing to the side, while he held her from behind, leaning into her neck to give her a kiss.

* * *

Several bottles of beer were scattered on the coffee table. Sai and Ino had returned back to the bedroom, this time to actually get some sleep.

Kiba sprawled on the couch, with his head dipping over the side and close to the floor. He had plenty of beers, but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of his surroundings.

Shino sat next to him, again, patiently waiting for the tipsy man to speak.

"Dude," he began. "What am I supposed to do?"

Turning his head to examine the odd position, Shino opened his mouth to speak.

"I can't tell you what to do, Kiba. I know I suggested to stopping fooling around, but I wasn't expecting you to develop feelings for somebody so quickly."

"I don't ha-"

Shino's leg swung out and kicked Kiba off the couch.

"Shut up and listen to me. I don't even know if you have feelings for this girl, or if you've just tricked yourself into it. But I know this: you need to slow down and think about what you're doing. You might not have feelings for her and lead her on, or you might be in denial and lose a good opportunity. Nobody knows what's going to happen, but if you think it over, maybe you'll make the right choice. You might not be together forever, but at least you'll be happy."

Kiba stared up at his best friend, letting the words slowly sink in.

"Stop letting your pride get in the way of everything and start listening to your feelings."

Shino stood up and walked over to the small closet that was next to the front door. He grabbed a blanket and threw it on the couch.

"Set an alarm, you have work in the morning."

He walked into his bedroom and closed the door. Kiba hoisted himself back onto the couch, settling under the blanket. His eyes were blurry from the alcohol and sleep that was setting in, but at least for the moment, he felt more sure about himself.


	9. The Fifth

I do not own Naruto.

Sorry, longer chapter. Got a little busy with AX and the fourth of July weekend.

* * *

Chapter 9

The Fifth

The fifth time he saw her, he felt fucking amazing. He hated to admit it, but he had slight butterflies when he saw her enter the house.

Ever since his talk with Shino, Kiba stopped basing his actions off of what people expected from him. He had built up this crazy attitude over the years that led people to believe he really was an asshole, and he was honestly so done with it. Forcing himself to act nonchalant about his whole possible relationship with Koharu was killing him.

He was done with the not nice guy persona and focused on letting himself enjoy his time with the girl. Sure, he was definitely acting more flirty with her, texting her throughout the day and even spending hours on the phone with her, but it felt damn good.

The KU ice hockey team had won their first game against Mist State University; which meant there was a giant rager at the house. There were probably over a hundred people on the large property to celebrate the win and get wasted.

It was already past midnight and the party was well into play. Practically all of his friends were there, but Kiba couldn't help to casually glance towards the door every now and then in the hopes of seeing a shorter figure walk in.

From their texts, Kiba knew that Koharu had a project due in the morning. She had attended the game but immediately left to go home and do work. She had stated that she'd try her best to finish early and meet up, but didn't make any promises to celebrate with everyone. Kiba couldn't help but be disappointed every time the door opened to reveal somebody that wasn't her.

Frowning, he waged the idea of sending her a text asking about her progress, but immediately wiped the thought away as he didn't want to pressure her.

"Yo Kiba, get over here!" Naruto shouted across the kitchen.

Kiba looked up to see that the loud blonde was standing with a large group of people, all holding paper shot glasses.

"Stop being a pussy and take a shot with us!" Naruto grinned.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Kiba walked over, grabbing a bottle of whiskey on the way. "You said you'd take me shot for shot tonight and you're still behind."

"Don't push him," Sakura rolled her eyes. "He's already a big mess."

Choji handed over a tiny paper cup to Kiba, "Yeah, I already feel bad enough for Hinata. She won't get to sleep when he's throwing up for 5 hours tonight."

Kiba poured himself a shot, and lifted the small cup to signal that he was ready.

"Here's to being the best!" Naruto grinned sloppily. "We're going to be fucking champs again!"

The group cheered loudly before quickly drinking the shots. Congratulations to the players were passed around, and more alcohol was ingested.

Kiba lifted himself to sit on the counter, warm from all the alcohol and bodies that had been stuffed into the house. He was buzzed but still aware of his surroundings.

"You okay?" Sakura smiled at him. She was holding a red solo cup filled with some type of lime green mixture. "Want some?"

"Nah," Kiba brought his hand to ruffle the hair behind his head. "Not really in the mood to get wasted tonight."

"Wait, what? Are you feeling ok? The Kiba I know would always be down to black out," she teased.

He gave her a lopsided grin, "Hey, I'm not that predictable. And what about you? Shouldn't you be celebrating with our MVP?"

"You know Sasuke, he's probably sulking about having all these people in his house." Sakura pointed towards Ino who was dancing provocatively, "If anything, I celebrate more because of the girls."

The two diverted their attention to look as Ino pulled Hinata towards her, causing the poor girl to spill her drink. Ino spun Hinata around and began grinding against her back. Hinata sighed as she'd been accustomed to this behavior and knew she wouldn't be able to get away.

Sakura and Kiba laughed before turning towards each other and sharing an awkward silence. The house was rowdy with music blasting over the speakers and people yelling at each other, but for some odd reason, the two were quiet as ever.

Sakura hesitated and bit her lip for a moment. This unspoken awkwardness had been present in their friendship for the longest time but they never chose to address it. In their group of friends, everybody was close and comfortable with each other. It was just Sakura and Kiba who had never touched upon their unpleasant rift.

"Hey…" Sakura started off, her eyes not meeting his.

Kiba looked at her before seeing movement from the entryway. He turned his head and couldn't stop himself from grinning like an idiot when he saw a familiar face walk in.

Realizing the sudden change in her friend's mood, Sakura turned around to see what was so interesting.

"Sorry, I'll catch ya' later," Kiba said as he jumped off the counter and walked away.

Koharu seemed slightly lost in the large, crowded house. She caught sight of Ino and Hinata on the dance floor but didn't recognize any other faces. She stood in the entryway and grinned when she saw Kiba walking towards her.

"Hey," he said quietly in her ear as he pulled her into a hug.

"Sorry," she smiled cheekily. "That project took fucking forever. One of my groupmates was being an asshole and wouldn't respond to us. I actually wouldn't be surprised if he was here somewhere."

"Let me know who he is and I'll kick him out," Kiba shrugged. "You okay though?"

"Yeah, just a bit tired from all the work," Koharu glanced around the place. "This is kind of strange though. I'm so used to seeing this house being spotless."

A drunk redhead passed by, sloshing the drink he was holding and almost spilling it on Koharu. Kiba placed his hand on the small of her back and pushed her closer to him to avoid the mess.

"Come on, the others are over there." He led her towards the island in the kitchen. "You owe me a shot anyways."

Koharu slapped his arm playfully.

"You know I'm a lightweight! I can barely take two."

"Relax, I'll take care of you," Kiba laughed.

Sakura's eyes widened at the sight of the couple as they approached. Since when did this happen?

"Surprised you were able to make it," Neji smirked.

"Shut up," Koharu huffed. "You got lucky with your group. That guy didn't even know how to calculate ROA. If I see him here, I'm going to kill him."

Kiba filled a shot glass with Jameson and reached for another Dixie cup. He hesitated for a moment before switching the Jameson with a bottle of Peach Ciroc, making sure not to fill Koharu's shot all the way.

"You drinking tonight?" Temari raised her brow. She certainly didn't miss the interactions between her best friend and Kiba on their way in.

"Mm…" Koharu looked down, holding the shot and cup of Sprite for chase that Kiba offered her. "Just a bit…"

Shikamaru leaned against the fridge with his arm around Temari. She turned to whisper something in his ear, and he kept his cool gaze on Koharu.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Naruto stopped everybody from their conversations. "Koharu's about to take a shot guys. We have to join her!"

The boys smirked and began pouring the shots for everybody. Temari moved to stand next to her best friend.

"You sure you want to drink?"

"I'll be fine," Koharu rolled her eyes. "It'll be just this one. Hopefully."

Temari smirked, "Well, you have our numbers if you need a ride home in the morning."

"You suck," Koharu glared.

The two shared a look before Kiba returned, placing his arm around Koharu. Sakura couldn't help but stare at them as he raised his shot glass to signal for everybody to do the same.

"Shout out to Naruto for throwing up already," he grinned.

Naruto glared back, "Shout out to Kiba for missing all his shots today."

"Shut up and drink," Shikamaru yelled. He wasn't about to let the duo ruin the house by getting into another fight.

Everybody took the shots and the night went on. The close knit group separated to mingle and have their own fun.

Kiba and Koharu remained close together, arguing about who would need to be taken care of.

"If I black out tonight, it's all your fault," she pouted.

Kiba wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I said I'd take care of you, didn't I?" he looked down at her. His eyes couldn't help but glance down every now and then. She was wearing a short, pink velvet dress with spaghetti straps that didn't do much to hide her cleavage.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, "I'm just warning you, I can be a bit of a mess. I rarely drink. There's a reason why Temari's going to be watching me all night."

At the sound of that, Kiba looked up to see Temari staring directly at them. She was with Shikamaru, Choji, and other random people on the other side of the room. He cringed and broke eye contact from the intense stare.

"Jesus, she's fucking scary. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm friends with her. I just don't know how Shikamaru deals with her."

"Honestly, he's whipped," Koharu shrugged. "Sometimes he comes over just to drop off food if she's in a bad mood from studying."

"Hope I never get to that level," he mumbled.

Koharu narrowed her eyes but ignored the comment. "Well, she's not the only one that's been keeping their eyes on us. Care to explain?"

Her eyes shifted to the side to where Sakura was standing with Sai. The two were holding a conversation, with Sai picking up random cups on the table next to them and sniffing each one. Kiba noticed Sakura glimpse briefly towards his direction.

"She's probably just surprised or something…"

His hands dropped from Koharu's waist, causing her to drop hers as well and step back. He reached for the ginger ale and Jameson to pour into a cup. Koharu crossed her arms and gave him a look, unhappy with the vague response.

"Koharuuuu!" Ino sang. Tenten followed her with a grin plastered onto her face.

"Kiba's boring, come have fun with us!"

Kiba raised an eyebrow at the statement, but chose to be quiet as he drank from his cup. Koharu looked at the two, and noticed how they were clinging onto each other. Amused, she began wondering if they were even capable of standing on their own.

Ino's hand shot out and pulled Koharu, "Sorry dog boy, but we're stealing her."

Kiba didn't complain as he was more entertained by what they were about to do. He watched the girls pull Sakura on the way out. Kiba followed the girls into the living room, with Sai joining him.

People made way for the girls as they settled themselves in the center of the living room. They giggled and danced suggestively against each other. Temari soon joined them, holding a large bottle of yuzu soju above her head. They took turns taking swigs from the bottle as they danced before the bottle was completely empty.

Naruto whoop'ed loudly before running in and flailing his limbs around to dance next to them. Even Choji eventually joined in, swaying and tapping to the beat of the music. The crowd of people cheered on the dancers, mainly the girls.

Many of the guys looked towards the girls with greedy eyes. One even began recording the scene before Sasuke appeared, snatching the phone and glaring at the young man as he shrunk before the Uchiha.

Kiba walked away, knowing well that the girls were taken care of.

* * *

Almost two hours had passed and Kiba was walking down the stairs for the second time to find Koharu. He had gotten so caught up with the party that he realized he hadn't seen her since he left her at the dance floor. He was sober now and frustrated as to where she could have gone.

He spotted Shikamaru leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.

"Yo, have you seen Koharu?"

Shikamaru opened an eye lazily, "You lost her? Temari's going to kill you."

"You're not helping," Kiba growled.

Shikamaru frowned and looked at his friend. "Sorry, haven't seen her. Been busy taking care of Ino and Temari. They're both in the bathroom right now and I've been waiting for them. I think the girls went a little too crazy tonight."

He nodded his head towards Sai and Sasuke who were surrounding Sakura. Sai was trying to hold her head up while Sasuke held what seemed to be a cup of water and a plastic bag.

"What about the other girls?"

"Neji and Choji took Lee, Karui, and Tenten outside. Lee was getting too violent again and Tenten was starting to take her clothes off because she thought it was too hot in here. Even Naruto got his senses straight when he realized Hinata needed to throw up. I think they're upstairs in the master bathroom."

"Shit… I can't find her," Kiba sounded exasperated.

"Honestly, Sasuke's probably going to kick out all the randoms soon. Try the basement though, I think Shino's down there."

Kiba nodded his thanks and weaved through all the drunk people. The air was thick from all the joints and vapes people thought were a good idea. He scanned the basement as he descended the stairs, identifying Shino easily thanks to his signature jacket. He was surprised to find Shino still there; he normally left these parties at around midnight.

He walked closer and realized that his best friend was sitting on the couch. In one hand, he was holding a cup, while the other was resting on a girl's head that was laying in his lap, her arm dangling over the couch. Kiba couldn't make out the face because hair was covering it, but immediately recognized the pink dress.

"Dude!" Kiba breathed out, relieved. "Were you with her this entire time?"

Shino looked up, "I found her sitting on the stairs earlier. Some guy was clinging onto her, but I told him to get lost. She seemed to have trouble walking so I carried her here. She refuses to drink water or go to the bathroom."

Kiba cringed, feeling at fault for leaving her alone. Shino generally wouldn't take care of drunk people unless it was somebody in their group.

"How long have you been here?"

"Probably 40 minutes? I started doing a house check to make sure everybody was alright after Tenten threw her shirt at Neji's face," Shino smirked.

"You're the best, man," Kiba ran his hand through his hair. "The party's probably going to clear out soon."

"Shikamaru told me you'd be watching her tonight," Shino said. "I assumed everybody was accounted for but then I found her."

Koharu shifted in his lap, groaning.

Kiba and Shino eyed her warily, expecting her to throw up.

"When I left, she was dancing with the girls so I thought she was in good hands," Kiba smiled guiltily. "I guess I forgot how crazy the girls can get sometimes, since they normally take care of us."

"Were you with somebody else?" Shino asked, his eyebrows raising over his sunglasses.

"What the fuck," Kiba cursed. "No, I was just talking to other people. I'm not even drunk right now."

Shino shrugged, "Just making sure."

At that moment, there was a loud crash from upstairs. The music that was playing turned off and people stopped chattering.

"Party's over," Sasuke's voice boomed. "Get out!"

People in the basement groaned in disappointment, but shuffled back upstairs to exit. One of the girls pulled on Kiba's shirt on her way out, winking at him.

His nose crinkled in disgust. The girl was hot, but he wasn't interested.

"Sorry dude," Kiba sighed. "You think you can give us a ride back to my place?"

"To your place? You sure that's a good idea?"

"Yes," Kiba huffed. "Relax, I'm not going to mess this up. I should at least take care of her until she's sober since I practically ditched her."

Shino nodded, and the two moved to carry the poor girl back upstairs.

In the living room, Sakura was sprawled on the couch, with her head hanging over the side into a trash can. Sai and Shikamaru were trying to help Ino walk to the other couch. Lee and Karui were leaning against each other, with their backs against the wall. Choji sat next to them eating a bag of chips. Neji and Sasuke looked annoyed as they surveyed the mess of their friends.

"Temari and Hinata are probably going to stay in the bathrooms," Neji sighed. He put his phone away into his pocket. "Naruto just texted me saying that he'll try to move her again in a bit."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Ino and Sakura can stay on the couch. We tried moving Sakura but she punched me again."

"I can take Karui home," Choji continued munching. "She's fine now, she just needs to go home and sleep."

"At least one of the girls is being compliant," Neji mumbled. "Lee can sleep on the floor, he's already knocked out."

Shino and Kiba joined the group, with Kiba carrying Koharu in his arms.

"Where's Tenten?" Shino asked.

A look of realization dawned on Neji's face. He realized his girlfriend was still outside and ran towards the backyard to retrieve her.

Sasuke looked at Kiba and noticed that he was holding Koharu.

"You taking her back or…?"

"I'm driving them home," Shino replied.

Sasuke didn't question the statement, trusting Shino's word. Shikamaru looked over at Kiba, holding eye contact briefly but returning to take care of Ino.

They said their goodbyes, and Shino and Kiba exited the house.

* * *

Kiba miraculously unlocked the door to his apartment while holding onto the small girl, and kicked it open. He kicked his shoes off and threw his keys aside, heading straight for his room.

He frowned when he noticed his room was a mess, but couldn't do anything about it since it was already so late. He laid Koharu on his full size bed, and pulled his shirt off over his head. She surprisingly didn't move much and laid there peacefully.

He pondered for a moment, before grabbing his water bottle and placing it on the night stand, along with moving the trash can closer in case she happened to wake up sick. He left the room to shower in the adjacent bathroom. Ten minutes later, he walked out wearing boxers and a plain t-shirt.

He raised an eyebrow when he realized she hadn't moved at all from when he had left her. He had expected her to be more of a loud and funny drunk, like Ino or Tenten.

He got onto the bed, and stepped over her, slightly pushing her out so that he was laying on the inside of the bed. He placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a soft nudge so that she would lay on her side away from him. While she'd been a quiet drunk, he wanted to be safe in case she suddenly felt sick.

The motion caused her to moan, and she turned to face him instead. Kiba couldn't help but glance down at her curves. Since she was laying down on her side, her cleavage was dangerously close to spilling out of her dress. He could see black lace peeping from underneath. The bottom of her dress had also shifted and he saw that she was wearing matching lace underwear.

He silently cursed at himself for not being able to do anything. If this were any other girl, they'd probably be naked already.

His hand reached up to move the hair out of her face. Even when she was sleeping, she looked gorgeous. It was nice seeing her sleep so innocently, compared to the regular proud smirk she wore. As he tucked it behind her ear, Koharu's eyes slowly opened.

Kiba panicked and withdrew his hand. He hadn't expected her to wake up until the next morning.

She looked at him for a moment, before rubbing her eyes with her hand.

"Hey," Kiba whispered. "You okay? You were really drunk."

She looked dazed, as if she was having trouble registering what he had just said.

Kiba frowned, "Do you need water?"

He raised himself by leaning on his elbow, using his other hand to feel the pulse on her neck. The alcohol had made her pulse rapid, and she definitely felt hot. Before he could even get up, Koharu pushed him back down and swung her leg over, shifting herself so that she was laying on top of him.

"Uh…" Kiba's eyes were wide. He chose to keep his hands laying above him. As much as he wanted to grab her, he knew that it wasn't the smartest choice.

She lifted herself so that they were able to make eye contact. His breathing grew heavier as he noticed her gaze, while his body tensed up against her weight.

Before Kiba could question her actions, she leaned in and began giving him small kisses on his neck. His mind began racing, unsure of what to do. He knew she was drunk, but his hands were just itching to hold her.

She reached his pulse and began sucking, causing him to groan. He didn't even hesitate as he pushed her off and rolled over to let himself be on top. He went straight for her lips while her hands tangled into his hair. He nipped her bottom lip, and she complied with deepening the kiss as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Kiba was so caught up in the heat of the moment. He began attacking her neck, and one of his hands brushed aside the strap on her dress to give himself more access. His hand had no problem moving underneath her dress to find something to massage; he continued sucking on her neck as his thumb lightly flicked over her nipple.

The action caused Koharu to moan his name loudly.

For some reason, the sound of her voice woke Kiba up from his daze. He snapped back up, still straddling her, his eyes wide as he realized what he'd been doing.

Koharu laid beneath him, clearly confused from the sudden interruption. Her hair was spread over his pillow and her lips puffy from all the kissing. Her cheeks were flushed, probably from both the alcohol and their heavy make out session.

"What's wro-"

"I need water," Kiba cut her off. He jumped off the bed and slammed the door to the bedroom on his way out.

He leaned back against the door, and slowly slid down until he was crouching against it. What the fuck was he doing? He ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it in frustration. This was the exact opposite of his plan. He was supposed to be taking care of her, not taking advantage of her. He even told Shino that he wouldn't mess this up.

He sighed, putting his head into his hands. He really wanted her, but for once, it wasn't just physical. As much as he wanted to have sex with her, it almost hurt knowing that it might not mean anything. He'd gotten so used to talking to her every day that she had become a routine in his life.

Kiba frowned. No, it wasn't a routine. She was something he looked forward to in between classes and work. You don't look forward to a routine; if anything, you're supposed to have something that makes routine more exciting.

What was he supposed to do now? He began panicking when he realized that she was still in the room. It wasn't like he could kick her out. She was clearly not capable of taking care of herself in this state. He continued tousling his hair in frustration before getting up to retrieve a bottle of water from the fridge.

He stood in front of his bedroom door with his hand on the knob, mentally preparing himself.

'Just go in there, and tell her you're not feeling well. Make sure she drinks water, and if she wants, you can sleep on the couch and she gets the bed,' he cringed at the idea of being kicked out of his own room. He swallowed his pride, knowing that it was for the better.

Slowly opening the door, he peeped in and realized she was already asleep. She was on her side, dangerously close to the edge of the bed with her arm dangling over.

Kiba breathed a sigh of relief. Her falling asleep allowed him to skip the whole awkward confrontation. He could probably just worry about it in the morning if she happened to remember anything. He placed the water bottle on his desk and turned off the light. He settled himself on the bed behind her, turning his head to look at her back.

'Fuck it,' he thought, as he pulled her body close to him. 'I at least deserve this.'

He nuzzled into her neck, appreciating how sweet she smelled as he fell deep into slumber. For once, it was nice having somebody to hold.


	10. The Aftermath

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 10

The Aftermath

Koharu tried using her arm to cover the bright light that was disturbing her sleep. It was too damn early to be awake, and she could feel the headache that would be bothering her the rest of the day. She flipped to her other side in hopes of being able to fall back asleep, but noticed how different her room smelled.

Slowly opening her eyes, her vision adjusted and made out an outline of a body. Gasping, Koharu pushed her body away from the person, causing her to crash out of the bed. Her head was ringing intensely and she bumped her funny bone against the leg of a side table.

As she cradled her elbow, she looked down and frowned at the clothes she was sitting on top of. Her shoes were scattered in the mess of clothes and papers on the floor. Straightening her back, she peeped over the bed.

Her eyes widened as she took in the image of Kiba sleeping peacefully. He was laying on his back, his head turned away from her. Despite the unpleasant wakening, he had somehow managed to sleep through it.

Resettling in a more comfortable position, Koharu tried her best to remember what had happened. She sat there for a good 5 minutes before realizing that her last recollection was dancing with Choji, holding hands as they circled around Tenten while she chugged from some unknown bottle. She sighed at her failure to recall the rest of the night.

Blacking out was a rare event, especially since she already knew how sensitive she was to alcohol. Coming from a community college didn't really help the fact that her opportunities to get wasted were nonexistent. If it weren't for Temari inviting her out so much, she would have never really known her limits.

Kiba's arm moved to cover his head, causing her to stiffen. Having him wake up was the absolute last thing she wanted. She took note that he was in a t-shirt and boxers, and thanked the gods that he wasn't naked. Quickly, she grabbed her shoes and shuffled the tangle of objects on the floor until she found her phone.

"Please don't be dead," she muttered under her breath. Flipping the device over, the little red icon indicated that her phone was on the verge of dying. Taking her time to get up, she realized how heavy her head felt and eyed the water bottle on the side table. She bit her lip, and grabbed it before tip toeing out.

Slowly creeping open the door, she poked her head out and relaxed when she saw Naruto and Hinata sleeping soundly. Hinata was sleeping on the couch, while Naruto slept on the floor beside her with his arms around a trash can.

As she walked out, she sniffed the air and identified the disgusting scent of vomit. Wrinkling her nose, she hurried out so she wouldn't get sick as well.

Once she was in front of the building, Koharu panicked when she couldn't recognize the streets. It didn't seem like they were anywhere near the house or near campus. She bit her lip, contemplating on how she'd be able to get home. She had no idea if the walking distance was doable, and her phone was already at 5%.

She flipped through her contacts and cursed when she realized who her best contact was for a situation like this. She really needed to make more friends at KU.

* * *

The moment his phone vibrated, Shikamaru's hand shot out to retrieve it. There had been too many times Temari chewed him out for waking her up with his alarms and notifications. She was still knocked out from the previous night's activities, but he knew better than to take the chance of possibly disturbing her.

He brought the phone to his ear, whispering quietly, "What."

His eyes slowly opened when he heard the caller speak.

"How troublesome…" he smirked.

* * *

Koharu sat awkwardly at the dining table as Shikamaru scooped scrambled eggs onto her plate. Her head was resting on the table in her arms, eyeing the fluffy little yellow mountains. Shikamaru returned the frying pan onto the counter before taking his place next to her.

He started eating in silence, not wanting to probe her. He knew the girl well enough that letting her speak her mind first would make the conversation a lot easier.

Koharu turned her head forward so that she no longer had to see the plate or Shikamaru's arm. She mumbled something incoherent into her arms. Shikamaru frowned, unable to understand what the hungover girl said, and poked her arm.

Turning her head back, Koharu began softly, "He doesn't even know I left… He was still asleep and I didn't want to wake him up. I don't remember anything that happened last night. I'm pretty sure he didn't try anything…"

She slowly sat back up and looked sadly upon the breakfast that Shikamaru made.

"Both of our clothes were still on, so I don't think anything that bad happened."

Shikamaru took a small sip of his orange juice, analyzing her face. He could tell that she wanted to cry. He'd known the girl for a while now and had witnessed her suffer through some harsh events. Whenever something bad happened, she always kept the same facial expressions before announcing that she needed to be alone with Temari. The girl would travel the greatest distances just to speak to her best friend, but never once did she break down until they were alone.

"You seem pretty sad about nothing happening."

Koharu remained motionless, keeping the same vacant stare at her plate.

"Knowing Kiba, I'd be surprised if nothing happened. But I'm sure Temari already explained that to you."

Shikamaru watched as she grabbed the fork, using the metal utensil to separate the eggs from the sliced tomatoes and sausage that were sitting on the plate.

"He's not that bad of a guy. I saw him go through a relationship, and he treated that girl like a queen."

"When I woke up this morning, I was disappointed that we still had our clothes on. I was hoping for some sort of clue that would tell me we did… you know. I know I was drunk and I don't remember the night, but I kind of wish we did something…" she finally spoke. Her voice started out weak, but her voice grew steadier throughout her explanation.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, wondering when the hell did she develop such strong feelings for the guy. He knew they were smitten with each other, but he wasn't expecting the girl to cling for any type of affection that could have possibly occurred.

"It was just one night," he stated. "If he really didn't do anything with you, he probably cares about you and wants to see you again. He probably didn't want to ruin it. No offense, but you and the other girls were wasted. I don't think any guy that cares would try to put moves on you if you're intoxicated like that."

Koharu pushed the plate away from her. Placing her arms back on the table, she rested her head on them.

Frowning, Shikamaru moved closer to her, "He'll probably call you or something. I've known him forever, and judging from what I've seen, I think he has feelings for you."

Koharu finally looked up at him, making eye contact. Her eyes filled with guilt. "When I woke up this morning, I kind of wished we did something… but at the same time, I kind of wished he was _someone else…"_

Shikamaru sucked in a breath. 'Well, shit,' he thought. He began feeling sympathetic towards his old friend. Kiba could be an asshole towards girls, but he had a hunch that this was a different situation.

"How long have you known?"

Koharu frowned at him, feeling defensive. "I wasn't doing this on purpose. I really do think I like him, but I can't explain why I felt the way I did this morning."

"The school year isn't over," he said firmly. "You've got until May."

Koharu's eyes narrowed at him.

"What you do up until then is entirely up to you. You're lucky only Temari and I know what's going on. If anybody else in the group knew, they'd probably have a fit about the way you've been acting."

"I'm not trying to hurt anybody," her voice raising. "I wasn't doing this on purpose."

"Our little group has been friends for a while. If they found out, they'd take Kiba's side immediately."

Koharu stood up, "You act like I've already made up my mind. I don't know what I want! And why are you taking his side? You're the one that was warning me to stay away from him. Aren't you my friend? I thought you were on my side."

Shikamaru got off his seat, upset that she was raising her voice. "I'm not taking anybody's side. I'm just warning you about what might happen. I know you were Temari's friend first, but I think it's fair to say that we've gotten close as well. Look, I'm trying my best to be unbiased and look out for the both of you. You're both pretty volatile."

"Volatile?" her voice screeching, "What the fuck is that supposed to mean? He's the bad guy!"

A loud bang brought both of their attention towards Temari. Her fist was on the door, her face exhausted from the previous night's activities.

"Is there a reason why the two of you woke me up when I'm fucking hungover?" she frowned. "Not exactly a big fan of hearing you argue. If anything, it should be me arguing with one of you, not you guys arguing with each other."

Koharu and Shikamaru pointed at each other, "(S)He started it!"

Temari face palmed herself, sighing at the two. Why did her boyfriend and best friend decide now of all times to be annoying?

* * *

Temari, Shikamaru, and Koharu were drinking smoothies at an organic juice bar located in the downtown area. They were seated inside amongst other morning stragglers getting their juice fix. The loud noise of blenders would rise and fall, along with people chatting on their phones as they grabbed a drink after coming from an early morning workout.

"Why am I always the third wheel…" Koharu mumbled to herself as she stirred the smoothie around with her straw.

Shikamaru flicked his straw wrapper at her, "Stop being troublesome. You know it wasn't always like this."

Temari brought her fist down on the table, annoyed by their constant bickering. The two had fought the entire way since she woke up. They had agreed to get smoothies to help with their hangover, but had not settled the whole Kiba situation.

"Koharu, you can't blame Shikamaru for saying those things to you. He's just worried. Even if you ended up getting Kiba's hopes up, you probably wouldn't be able to sleep from all the guilt."

Shikamaru smirked at his girlfriend's statement, while Koharu glowered.

"Shikamaru, you shoudn't have jumped to conclusions. If you're going to warn Koharu, you didn't need to bring up the group. They have nothing to do with this and saying that is like an attempt at intimidating her. We were both there this past summer, and it's not her fault if she's still healing from what happened."

The two eyed each other, knowing what the dirty blonde had said to be true.

"What a drag. Sorry," Shikamaru leaned back against his chair.

"Yeah, same," Koharu chewed on her straw.

"Don't get too emotional now," Temari rolled her eyes. "Now that that's out of the way, what are you going to do? Kiba's probably waking up soon and he'll notice you're gone."

Koharu continued chewing at her straw, before looking up at her best friend through her eyelashes. She sat up straight, "I wasn't kidding when I said I liked him. I think I still do."

"What about this morning?" Shikamaru raised his eyebrow.

"I don't know," she admitted, leaning against her hand. "I honestly don't know where that came from. I've been having a lot of fun with Kiba. We don't see each other much, but I do enjoy talking to him."

"Bet you're having real intellectual conversations with that idiot," Temari grumbled.

Shikamaru gave his girlfriend a look, sending her signals to cut it out.

"Look," she sighed. "We can't tell you what to do, but we can only hope you'll listen to our opinions."

Koharu pressed her lips together, ready to hear the words of wisdom from the experienced couple. Shikamaru and Temari were honestly the most reasonable and sensible people she knew. Very different to her own sporadic personality.

"There's nothing wrong with dating Kiba," Shikamaru started off.

"Yes, there's nothing wrong with that. As long as you don't hide any secrets from him. You don't need to tell him everything, but the least you can do is be open about how you're unsure," Temari said.

Koharu shrugged, the advice was simple and made sense. "How am I supposed to be transparent with him when he hasn't been with me?"

Temari frowned, "I thought you said it was obvious that he wanted you."

"Mmm…" her eyes scanned the little shop as a woman entered carrying a dog in her purse, "Yeah, but if there's one thing I thought was weird last night, it was Sakura."

Shikamaru's ears perked up, "What do you mean?"

"She kept staring at us the entire night. It was kind of weird and stalker-ish. I mean, I'm friends with her and I like her, but it was really strange. I asked Kiba about it but he shrugged it off. I don't think he knows that I know that they dated. You think they still like each other?"

Temari shook her head, "No way. Sakura's head over heels with Sasuke. Kiba probably just didn't want to talk about it. He hates it when people bring up their relationship. We all think he just has a grudge against her because she ultimately rejected him for somebody else."

"Now hold on," Shikamaru paused. "We don't know for sure what Kiba's feelings are about that. The only person that really knows what's going on in his head is Shino, and maybe Naruto. None of us really know what he thinks of Sakura, or _if_ he thinks of her."

Koharu's eyes hardened at the information. She didn't like the idea of chasing somebody that still had feelings for an old ex.

Shikamaru noticed the steely look in her eyes. "I just wanted to list the possibilities. It's your job to find out what's up with him."

"And until then," Temari smirked, "You really don't need to be honest with him. You can just have fun. No point in spouting out your feelings if he's not willing to give some info."

Koharu smiled slyly at the idea. Sure, she was slightly confused about the boy, but at least she could have some fun if he wasn't willing to give in. Even if he did have feelings for Sakura, she'd just make him forget about them and plant herself in his mind. Koharu wasn't one to back down until she got _something._ Her past relationships were proof of that.


	11. The Aftermath 2

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 11

The Aftermath Part 2

Okay, so this wasn't exactly what he expected. Kiba frowned as he sat in the living room while Hinata and Naruto were busy in the kitchen.

In fact, it was kind of sad.

Kiba woke up that morning and was surprised to see that Koharu had already left. He had expected the girl to sleep into the afternoon (based on how intoxicated she was the previous night). He was going to wake up, possibly cuddle her as she was knocked out, and then prepare Hinata's magical smoothie that always cured hangovers.

He would gently wake her up (probably have to calm her down until she realized nothing happened) and then spend the morning with her. They could've went out for brunch with Naruto and Hinata. And afterwards, they could _maybe_ go out together.

Kiba knew she was a busy person, but they could've at least woken up together to clear the air. He was pretty sure she didn't remember anything; and now that she had went and left without saying anything, he didn't really know where they stood.

Everything _could've_ been so much easier, but now everything was just complicated.

He sighed deeply, sinking further down on the couch. Kiba had called in sick for his morning shift. While he wasn't hungover, he definitely didn't feel well.

Naruto sat down next to him, happily munching on a breakfast burrito.

"What's with the long face?" he asked with his mouth full.

"Kiba-kun."

Kiba looked up to see Hinata smiling, offering him a plate with a burrito as well.

"Thanks Hinata," he couldn't help but smile. It was times like these that he appreciated his whole housing situation with Naruto. He got to see Hinata practically every other day. The girl had always been a little sister to him, and it was nice being able to talk to her and update her on anything when he came home.

He bit into the hot burrito, grateful for the fluffy eggs and crispy strips of bacon cooked to perfection. Having Hinata's cooking was an extra benefit, too.

"I thought you were sleeping over at Shino's?" Naruto asked.

"Nah," Kiba shrugged. "Not in the mood to wake up to Ino and Sai having sex. I thought you guys were sleeping at the house?"

Naruto shrugged as well, "Nah. Once Hinata had enough water, I was able to bring her back."

Hinata blushed from embarrassment. She couldn't believe how she had acted.

Kiba noticed the look on her face and grinned.

"Ah, don't be so embarrassed Hinata. You weren't the only one that was being a mess. I actually thought it was funny that it was the guys taking care of the girls for once."

Naruto walked back to the kitchen to make himself another burrito.

"Yeah, but it was our first win! We should've celebrated more," Naruto whined.

"Make me one too while you're at it," Kiba asked loudly. He turned to look back at Hinata who was still taking her time with her own meal.

"I could've celebrated more, but I didn't," he spoke quietly. "And I still somehow managed to fuck it all up."

Hinata paused from her burrito to look up in confusion. "What do you mean? You seemed like you were having fun."

Kiba threw up his arms in frustration and flopped on his side. "I didn't do my job Hinata! Remember the plan? I got too preoccupied with all the people there."

Naruto heard the last bit as he returned with two more burritos. "You fucked up? Did you leave with some other girl?"

Kiba angrily swiped the burrito.

"No! I just got busy talking to people. I didn't even notice time was passing by, and I kind of maybe just assumed that the girls would take care of her since they were dancing together. I knew she's a lightweight but I still left her."

"Sorry Kiba-kun," Hinata looked down with guilt. "I got carried away. I should have realized that she was at her limit."

"Is her limit really like, two shots?" Naruto asked in amazement. "Did you at least see how much she drank before you left?"

"Hinata, don't you dare apologize," Kiba frowned. "This wasn't your responsibility. It was my fault for thinking that you guys would take care of her. And honestly, I don't really know how much she drank. I was gone for like, forever."

"How'd you find her then?" Naruto stuffed half the burrito in his face. Crumbs were falling into his lap and spilling onto the couch.

"Wasn't she in the basement with Suigetsu?" Hinata titled her head.

"Gross, shark boy was at the party too?" Naruto crinkled his nose. "Lava girl was all over Sasuke when Sakura started giving Ino a lap dance."

Hinata giggled, "Karin wasn't that bad yesterday. She was surprisingly tame for once."

"Wait, wait, wait," Kiba waved his burrito at each word for emphasis. "Suigetsu was with Koharu? When I found her, Shino was taking care of her."

"I saw them together..." Hinata's voice slightly trailed off, her eyes trying to judge Kiba's face and any type of emotion that might be conveyed.

"What were they doing?" he tensed up, eyes narrowing.

"Um, they weren't kissing or anything. They just looked extremely close. I-I only saw them for a minute before I went back upstairs."

Kiba dropped the burrito straight onto the coffee table. His mind was switching gears to piece together what really happened. Didn't Shino say somebody was bothering her? He frowned, no, Shino knows who Suigetsu is. He would know if it was him.

The image of her waking up in his bed and suddenly straddling him came to mind. His stomach felt queasy at the idea of her doing it to somebody else… It churned even more at the possibility that whoever she did it to, probably didn't try to stop her actions.

Kiba hadn't exactly been a gentleman, but he eventually became conscious of what they were doing and stopped before anything really happened. The guilt of leaving her alone for so long was really starting to set in as his brain came up with a million possibilities of what she had done unconsciously.

Hinata watched the different expressions that screened across Kiba's face. She herself felt bad for not paying more attention to the girl when she saw her in the basement.

Naruto finished his burrito happily. Content with their breakfast, he finally looked up to realize how quiet the two were.

"You guys look constipated," he grinned.

Hinata frowned at her boyfriend's inability to read situations. Kiba's head snapped towards the blonde, his hand reached back and grabbed the closest pillow to throw at Naruto's face.

"Fuck off," Kiba hissed.

"Ow, geez," Naruto rubbed his nose. "What's got your panties in a bunch?"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata gave him a look that warned him to settle down.

"Uhh…" Naruto paused, unsure of how tense the environment was. "You know, we're always here for you?"

Kiba groaned as he slapped his hands onto his face. How the hell had this happened?

"Kiba, I'm sure it's not as bad as you think," Hinata smiled slightly. "Suigetsu isn't that bad of a person. I'm sure if you asked him, he'd tell you."

"Yeah!" Naruto picked up the last piece of information. At least he'd be able to partake in the conversation now that he had a vague clue of what they were talking about. "Or you can ask teme! Him and Suigetsu are pretty close."

"As much as I want to know what happened, I also kinda don't. I have too many things to worry about right now," he cringed. "Koharu left this morning before I could even talk to her about us."

"She slept over?" Hinata's eyes wide.

"Damn! You really do work fast," Naruto grinned knowingly.

"Nothing happened! I swear, I just felt bad so I let her sleep here since she was too drunk to go home. But now that she's left so early, I'm pretty sure she thinks we did do it last night."

Hinata and Naruto noticed the defeated look in Kiba's eyes. They sympathized with him, but were more surprised at how he was taking everything in.

Naruto stood up, determined to help his friend feel better.

"Well, why are you just sitting there for?"

"What?" Kiba frowned at him.

"Go find her! Tell her everything that happened. The more you wait, the worse it's going to get. You need to go out there and let her know how you feel!"

Whenever Naruto got like this, the mood was always contagious. Hinata felt motivated by the speech and stood up as well.

"Naruto-kun's right! We don't know for sure what she's thinking, but she definitely won't know what happened unless you two talk."

"Uh…" Kiba looked confused at the both of them. The fiery look in their eyes was slightly unsettling.

"Grab the bull by the horn! Carpe diem!" Naruto shouted, raising his fists in the air. He turned around and grabbed Kiba by the shoulders.

"I'm telling you this because I care about you, dude. Stop being a pussy and just go find her. Don't be a Sasuke and mope around whenever him and Sakura get in a fight. You're better than that."

Hinata nodded, "She'll probably be more grateful than anything if you go clear things up. You just started realizing your feelings for her; you shouldn't let this mess everything up so soon."

Kiba's head turned back and forth between the two. It honestly felt like he was talking to two Naruto's right now.

"Ah, what the hell," he sighed. He knew he wouldn't be able to argue against them, especially when they had such valid points. "You guys are right. I'll try to find her today."

Hinata smiled as Naruto slapped Kiba's back encouragingly, "There you go!"

Kiba felt slightly relieved. They would still have a slightly awkward conversation about what happened, but at least he knew it wasn't the end of the world. He was proud of his ability to restrain himself during that incredibly intense moment. Maybe it would pay off later down the road…

"Maybe I can ask her on a real date now… Yeah, Koharu's a pretty understanding person anyways. She wouldn't do something crazy like the other girls and ignore me or anything."

* * *

Almost two weeks had passed and it felt like every minute lasted an hour.

Kiba was currently sitting in the library trying to finish a lab report that would be due in two days. He tried his best to focus but his mind kept wandering back to his last encounters with Koharu.

The day after the party, he texted her asking if they could meet up to talk. Immediately afterwards, she texted back "Lol. Let's just never bring it up." and since then, had been seemingly avoiding him.

He glanced over at his notes, trying to decipher his chicken scratch that he had fumbled with during his last lab session.

To be honest, Kiba couldn't really tell if she was avoiding him. He'd been so caught up with his school work that he wouldn't be surprised if she really was busy. Everybody was diving into midterms, and their meetings with each other had been more of study sessions than hang outs. The boys were too tired after hockey practice to go out, and even at the last game, only half the girls showed up due to busy schedules.

He reached into his backpack and pulled out his phone. Tomorrow would be Thursday, and nobody had even bothered trying to set up weekend plans. He scrolled through and picked the chat that was just for the guys.

Kiba: Yoooo any plans for this weekend?

Neji: Studying

Naruto: Nope! Anybody wanna get Ichiraku tonight?

Sasuke: Studying

Naruto: teme wtf.

Naruto: Stop being boring and let's get food tonight guys!

Choji: Sorry, I'm going home for the weekend ):

Lee: Training with Guy-Sensei! You are all more than welcome to join us

Kiba: I don't want to die

Naruto: LOL

Sai: Going out with Ino this weekend

Shikamaru: When are you guys going to wash our couch

Naruto: LOL now you join the conversation?

Sasuke: Sakura refuses to sit on the couch until you get it professionally cleaned

Neji: I would prefer it if you just bought us a new couch.

Lee: What's wrong with the couch?

Kiba: So… you guys are all busy then?

Kiba: Naruto, I'm down for ramen tonight

Naruto: WOOOOOOHHH

Shino: I will join in tonight as well.

Choji: Me and Shikamaru will come

A couple hours later, all 5 met up at Ichiraku. The restaurant was busy for a Wednesday night as it was one of the most popular ramen places in Konoha. Everybody placed their orders and were commenting about their busy schedules and lack of excitement.

"Hey, at least I came tonight," Choji shrugged.

"You just come whenever we get food," Naruto whined. "Why can't we do something this weekend?"

Shikamaru sighed, "I'm busy Saturday. Temari's making me drive out all the way for some stupid gymnastics competition. We won't be back till late night."

Kiba picked up information, but chose not to question it. Temari didn't do gymnastics… but Koharu was on the KU team, which ultimately meant she was probably going with her.

Shino nodded, "My weekend itinerary is quite full. I need to finish up some work and I promised Kurenai I would babysit."

"When are you going?" Shikamaru suddenly looked interested. He hadn't seen Kurenai in a while. His visits were generally frequent since Asuma's passing, but this past semester was too hectic for him to check up on her.

"Probably Saturday night?" Shino guessed. "You are more than welcome to join me. Mirai can be quite a handful sometimes."

"I'll probably meet you there, I don't want you to wait up for me."

A waiter approached the table and began passing around the large bowls of ramen. Chattering continued as they slurped the steamy noodles. Kiba remained quiet, content with listening to their conversations and slowly formulating a plan in his head.


End file.
